Audio question - bi-amping

[User]

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Eurgh coving.

 

[mr messy]

Erm don't you mean bi-wiring?
Bi-amping is using more than one amp to power speakers......

 

[mr messy]

Yes that's allows you to use 4 wires, 2 each for high and low frequency per speaker. Only relevant if your speakers have the 4 connections but tbh generally not worth the hastle and extra expense in cabling.
Bi-amping is typically using amps to power each speaker or the pairs of high or low range units separately

 

[raleighnut]

[QUOTE 3011929, member: 45"]I have the opportunity to pick up hifi separates. The amp is one of those bi-amp ones, with 4 connections for each speaker. Our speaker cables are single and set into the coving so can't be easily replaced, and my speakers only have two connections each.

Can I get the amp to work with standard speakers?[/QUOTE]
Mr messy is right the terminals are for bi-wiring or even to be able to use 2 pairs of speakers it will tell you in the manual what you can and cannot do with speaker connections, if purchased second hand most manufacturers will have the facility to download them, A lot of amps have an A/B speaker switch on the front with A, B, A+B and OFF in order to select the correct pair of speakers. Bi-amping is a different kettle of fish altogether and is normally achieved with a separate Pre-amplifier or Control unit and 2 Power-amps Which often have no controls at all or sometimes just an on/off switch.

 

[02GF74]

talking per channel, bi wiring is using same amp for the one speaker but using two wires for the low/hi speakers.
bia amping is using two separate amps, one to drive the low, the other to the high.

picture below should explain it.

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[raleighnut]

talking per channel, bi wiring is using same amp for the one speaker but using two wires for the low/hi speakers.
bia amping is using two separate amps, one to drive the low, the other to the high.

picture below should explain it.

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Driving low with one amp and high with another is OK but when I tried to get QUAD to make me a 4pin Din lead to do this they told me this was the wrong way so I now have one 303 driving the left hand speaker (bass/treble wired separately) and the other 303 driving the right. The reasons for doing it this way is that there is no possibility of stereo "crosstalk" in the Power Amplifier as each is only fed a commoned Mono signal with the stereo decoding taking place in the 33 Control unit. Please note this can only be done with matched Power amps. For really high end set ups I have listened to a workmates Naim "6 pack" which uses 4 separate 250watt mono power amps but then we're talking mortgage levels of expense as we are with a friends twin Radford valve amp system.

 

[Profpointy]

As others have said, it sounds like this if for bi-wiring where you have separate cables from one amp to the high and low part of your speakers - however it must be said, that if this actually makes a difference (beyond the obvious of 2 cables = 1 thicker cable) then the hi-fi engineers should be getting their tickets from the King of Sweden any day now.

Or, it could be two outputs to drive 2nd set of speaker in another room.

Just using one pair will be fine.

 

[mr messy]

Allegation is if you need to bi-amp then your original power amp or integrated doesn't have enough grunt. Personally i like to power the "ranges" separately if cranking it up

 

[raleighnut]

Allegation is if you need to bi-amp then your original power amp or integrated doesn't have enough grunt. Personally i like to power the "ranges" separately if cranking it up

Its not about power or grunt its about sound quality and stereo imagery. Another of my HiFi buds uses a QUAD 22 & two single channel mono QUAD 2 valve amps and they only put out 15watts each but they sound so good that QUAD relaunched them a few years as the Classic then uprated the power supply to make the 2 Forty then swapped the KT-66's for KT-88's to make the 2 Eighty.
Not bad going for an Amp launched in 1957

 

[jayonabike]

I use 2 mono power amps and a pre amp. 2x mono=stereo and awesome power. Bi-wired also. The stereo imagery is amazing.